Version 3.0

STEP 1: Add a background emitter
Start by adding a background emitter to fill in the blank stage. In
this case, I’ll load the October 2004 emitters in the Library Window
and choose Light Dots 14. In the emitter’s Properties, change the Tint
Color around to a light blue to fit the cool scheme we’re looking for.
STEP 2: Create a text treatment
In a paint program, create white text for the title on a black
background. Save that out, and bring it in to particleIllusion to use
as a title. It’s always a good idea to size your sprites so they’re
divisible by 16, otherwise particleIllusion will resize it on import.
Here the title is 512 x 128.
STEP 3: Generate ghost titles
Next, drop in a blank emitter from the Blank library, convert it to an
area emitter and swap the default circular shape out for the new title.
This gives us a hundred copies of the word moving every which way.
STEP 4: Add variety
Drop down the Number graph to 1 percent, increase the size and reduce
the visibility. Then increase the Size Variation a bit to create
ghostly text in various sizes moving across the screen. This will serve
as a subtle backdrop for the main title.
STEP 5: Fade your text
To get the ghostly text to fade in and out nicely rather than popping
on and off, go under the Colors tab, select Use Full Gradient and add a
black key to the start and end of the gradient bar.
STEP 6: Add a main title
Create a new particle type in the text emitter, set it to Single
Particle and increase its Size. We now have a single solid title ahead
of the ghost text. By dropping a couple of key frames on this particle
type’s Visibility graph, you can fade the text up over the course of a
few seconds.
STEP 7: Add some sparkle
Add some life to the sequence with the glitter sparkles 08 emitter from
the September 2004 library. Once it’s on the stage, right-click on it
and choose Record Position. This lets you draw a path that the emitter
will follow.
STEP 8: Animate the sparkle
Draw the path for the emitter across the title. Now as it fades up, the
sparkles race across it. In the sparkle’s Active graph, click once at
the frame where you want the emitter to stop to make the particles
vanish off screen.
STEP 9: End with a bang
At the position and time that the sparkle emitter vanishes, add the
super sparkle burst 04 from December 2003 library. Now it looks like
our sparkles have blasted into a firework to punctuate the title.
STEP 10: Finish it off
In the Project Settings window, double check that the field settings
and frame rate match your target output. Then it’s off to the big red
Save Output button for your final choice of what format to render.
YOUR GUIDE
Elvis Deane
Independent Animator
Wondertouch Demo Artist
Elvis Deane is a freelance animator. Through his company Astounding Adventures (www.astoundingadventures.com) he produces his own original animated shorts and creates effects for independent films.
He’s also produced several training videos including: Cooking with particleIllusion and the upcoming Apprentice Magician’s Guide to particleIllusion.
Elvis Says Keep In Mind …
In the course of a busy day, there are probably times when you have
only a few minutes to throw together a title or motion graphic and get
it out the door. Using particleIllusion 3.0 from Wondertouch, you can
create a flashy title sequence by quickly editing and animating a
handful of preset particle emitters.
The particleIllusion library from Wondertouch has over 1,300
customizable preset effects. If you don’t find a preset that suits your
needs, just scan through the libraries until you find one similar to
the one you want and then make adjustments for the speed, size and look
of the particles so it’s a perfect fit.
Astounding Adventures
www.astoundingadventures.com
2359 Copperwood Dr.
Oakville, Ontario L6M 4S9
Canada
Ph. 905.847.5611
elvis@astoundingadventures.com
Support Gear: Dell 2.5 GHz system and Adobe Photoshop